Beacon Of Hope
by Melanie Malachite
Summary: Ruby Rose and her fellow students find themselves trapped in Beacon by a nefarious headmaster that wants them to kill each other to graduate. Who will succumb to the bloodthirsty demands? Who will fall victim to their friends' betrayals? Most importantly, who is behind the mask of Headmaster Deadb3ar? Don't get attached to any characters, because they will die.
1. A Beacon Of Hope

Ruby Rose stood alone at the back of a shop named From Dust Till Dawn. She had a pair of red headphones covering her ears, blasting her favorite song into her brain. Her nose was stuck in a magazine about weapons, so she hadn't noticed the man who had walked up behind her until he grabbed her hood and pulled it down. She turned to look at him, surprised. When he pointed to his ear, indicating that he was trying to speak to her, she obliged and moved her headphones down around her neck.

She only noticed the sword in his hand when he shoved it's point at her. "I said, put your hands up!"

She squinted at him. "Are you... robbing me?"

"Yes!" The man answered, exasperated.

"Oh..." Ruby was far from letting that happen. In the blink of an eye she drove her foot into his stomach, causing him to crumple over. Taking a step back, she jumped in the air and spun around, letting out a war cry as she delivered a hefty kick straight to the man's face. He flew across the store, crashing into a shelf just in front of the window.

She smirked at her handiwork, but celebration was cut short as another man appeared. He was dressed exactly the same as the first, so she figured they were working together. She charged at the second man and leaped in the air, landing both feet on his chest and shooting out the window, taking her target with her. She landed in the street, shattered glass hitting the ground around her. The man hit the ground, but only let out a groan instead of making any move to get back up.

Thinking that there might be more, she reached behind her back and grabbed her weapon. She pressed the activation button and let Crescent Rose unfold over her shoulder. Three men stepped out of the shop. Two more were dressed the same as the first two, so she assumed they were mere thugs, but the last man wore a stylish white suit. He had a cigar sticking out of his mouth, a cane in one hand and a red dust crystal in the other.

The man, who was obviously the leader, looked at his minions and motioned toward her. "Well? Get her."

Ruby grinned. Now was the time to let Crescent Rose do the talking. And the rest, as they say, is history.

* * *

Weiss Schnee sat in the large room, staring across at the man who had come to visit her. He had gray hair, which surprised her. He didn't look that old. Not even the small glasses on his face made him actually look old. His age was indiscernible as far as Weiss was concerned.

He was Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon. It was the most prestigious fighting school in Vale, and she couldn't care less. He was here on her father's request, to evaluate her eligibility for Beacon. She had no say in the matter. She had never had a say in the matter. She hoped Ozpin would see that and refuse to accept her.

Her father talked to Ozpin, thwarting any attempt the man made to speak to Weiss directly or privately. She could see that it was going to happen. She didn't understand why her father wanted her gone, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it.

Eventually, Ozpin stood up and made to leave. He smiled down at Weiss. "Congratulations. You've been accepted into Beacon, Miss Schnee."

Ozpin walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Weiss' father waited a minute before speaking. She could feel it coming long before he actually said anything. He was not happy with her. What did he want? She was accepted, wasn't she?

"Weiss, I am very disappointed." She hung her head. Whatever it was, she was sure he was right. He continued. "Yes, you were accepted, but it grieves me to know that your scores were sub-par. You qualified, but just barely. When you finish at Beacon, you had better be at least in the top five percent."

Weiss couldn't bring herself to look up at him. She was determined to beat this test. Maybe then, after Beacon, her dream would be realized. Maybe then she could sing.

* * *

Blake Belladonna slipped through the shadows silently, making her way through the building without a trace. No one would see her. She was too good to let that happen. The man was waiting for her, but both of them knew what would happen if they were caught. She had entered the building only a minute earlier, and she had already reached the door she was looking for. She opened it and slipped inside, closing it behind her.

Inside, she was faced with the man she came to meet. He was a big man with a short black beard covering his face and a pair of red sunglasses hiding his eyes. Blake smiled cautiously, holding out a handful of money. The man took the Lien and counted them, then smiled at her.

"Miss Belladonna, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." He reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of folders. "The first one has all your information. The falsified documents are untraceable, and will pass for real. If you can think of a clever way to hide those ears, no one will know you're a Faunus."

Blake nodded and took the folder. "I've got it covered. Both of them, actually." The pointed black ears on top of her head twitched in a strange sort of confirmation. "What's the other one for, Junior?"

He hoisted the folder in question. "Now, this is where I ask you a favor." Blake's ears perked up at this. He grinned and held it out to her. "This folder has two fake application forms for Beacon Academy. One is for you, but I would like you to deliver the other one for me."

"Who am I delivering it too?"

He opened the folder and glanced into it, nodding to himself. "All the information you need is right in there, on a third piece of paper. The boy's name is Jaune. He's a klutz, so I don't expect he'll last long there. His old man is a friend of mine, so the kid thought he could convince me to lend him a hand. He's paid up, so I'm just holding my end of the deal. Although... I suggest being stealthy about it. Don't want him recognizing you when you're at Beacon together."

Blake nodded and turned to leave. "Alright, I'll get it done. Thank you." She didn't particularly want to risk it, but if she played it right there wouldn't be any real danger.

* * *

Lie Ren sat on the edge of his bed. He knew what would happen if he went to sleep. He would wake up, and it would suddenly be morning. Tomorrow morning was going to be full of excitement and stress, and that was something he really didn't want. He was looking forward to going to Beacon, that was only only natural. What he didn't like was all the hustle and bustle so early in the morning.

He supposed that it wasn't so bad, considering he'd be going to Beacon with his friend Nora Valkyrie. She was so excited to go to Beacon that she had opted to stay at his place over the night. She was downstairs on the couch, probably not actually sleeping. She had promised to be there to help him pack for Beacon.

Eventually, he lay down and closed his eyes. He could only imagine what it would be like at Beacon. Tomorrow, he would see it for real. Maybe when they were at Beacon, maybe then he would gather up enough courage to tell Nora.

* * *

Jaune Arc walked alone down the streets. He could see up ahead where someone was waiting for him. Whoever it was, they were hiding in the shadows of an alley. He took a moment to reassure himself. Junior was a friend of the family. If Junior said this person was safe, then they were safe. Jaune wouldn't come to harm.

Having steeled himself enough, he stepped forward. The person hiding in the shadows glared at him, their yellow eyes glowing with danger. The light from a nearby street lamp showed some of their face, as well as a pair of cat-like ears on their head. It was a Faunus, which gave him some cause to worry.

A hand reached out of the darkness, holding the piece of paper Jaune had come for. He took it, being as careful as he could to not go too fast or too slow. A female voice followed, whispering quietly to him.

"Good luck, Jaune."

With that, the Faunus woman turned and vanished into the alley. Jaune turned and walked away, looking over the paper. It was perfect. With this, he would be able to get into Beacon Academy and fulfill his dreams.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos stood waiting for the airship to arrive. It would take her to Beacon Academy. She could feel it. This school was the key to her future. She was going to pass with flying colors.

The crowd around her was full of other students that would be there. More were arriving every minute, but she knew that none of her friends would be there. It was a simple equation. You can't meet old friends at a new school if you didn't have any friends before.

Another girl bumped into her, turning and smiling at her. "Oh, sorry." The tall blond held her hand out to Pyrrha. "Hi, I'm Yang."

Pyrrha smiled back, hoping she might be able to make friends at Beacon. It would be a change for her. She shook Yang's hand. "Hello, Yang. I'm Pyrrha. Let's be friends."

Yang laughed and nodded. "Sure thing. I just need to make sure my sister settles in first. She's got no clue what she's doing here. She jumped ahead two years."

Pyrrha nodded. "I can imagine how hard that must be on her."

Yang rubbed the back of her head idly. "Yeah... I should go find her." She turned and left, letting Pyrrha ponder how tough it would be on all of them.

Beacon wasn't an easy place to be at, but as far as Pyrrha knew everyone who went to Beacon came out as a strong and powerful Hunter or Huntress. It was something to look forward to.

* * *

Cardin Winchester watched the airship touch down. It was time to go. He was one of the first on board, and quickly found a good spot to sit down. He was strong and no one would beat him. That's how he lived, and that's how he got this far. Beacon was eager to accept him, and he was eager to take that chance. He was ready and willing to show everyone that he was the strongest student at Beacon.

* * *

Russel Thrush leaned back against the window, watching as all the other students flooded in. He struggled to hold back a laugh at how much armor they all seemed to be wearing. Every now and again, there would be someone without armor, but most opted to keep themselves protected. As far as he was concerned, if he couldn't dodge it and his aura wasn't enough to keep him alive, then it was his time.

* * *

Dove Bronzewing watched from his seat, silently keeping an eye on a group of other boys. They had already moved in to pick on the easier targets. He thought it amazing how bullies could be found even on the way to a place like Beacon. He hoped he wouldn't be another bully at Beacon, but he knew it was likely. It was in his nature. The unfortunate girl with Rabbit ears wouldn't get help from him, to his secret regret.

* * *

Sky Lark felt the ship touch down. The doors opened and the students moved out. He stepped out and looked up at Beacon. This was the day they were all waiting for. This would be the beginning of proving himself as a worthy warrior. For honor and glory, he would not walk away from this place as a failure.

* * *

Velvet Scarlatina waited until the other students went ahead, then followed behind at a safe distance. So this was Beacon Academy. She had suspected as much, and now she knew for sure. As big and prestigious as it was, Beacon was no different from anywhere else. It had been confirmed on the airship that she would suffer at the hands of bullies because she was a Faunus. She wasn't the only one, she was sure, but she had been singled out as weak.

Beacon wouldn't be different. It would just be fancier. She'd still be the target of discrimination no matter where she went. She looked up at the gates in front of her and prepared to step through. She would persevere. She would succeed. For her family and her friends. For everyone praying for her back home.

She spoke to herself, quietly trying to muster the strength. "Welcome to Beacon." She held her breath and took the step through the gates.

Then darkness.

* * *

**Notes:** Other than the characters we've already met (Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Cardin, Russel, Dove, Sky, Velvet, Junior, Roman, and Ozpin) there will also be Melanie and Miltiades Malachite, who will be inexplicably attending Beacon, and an unimportant OC named Carl who will be there to fill in as the expendable guy.


	2. Welcome To Beacon

Jaune opened his eyes and lifted his head off the desk in front of him. Had he been sleeping here? Where even was here? He looked around, suddenly recognizing the place as a classroom. He figured he must have been in Beacon, but where was everyone else? The room was empty except for him. It almost looked abandoned, save for a lack of dust covering every surface.

He slowly stood up and went to the door. There was nothing in this classroom that could help him. He needed to find out if he was alone in the building. He opened the door and quietly stepped into the hallway. It was silent and dark.

Hoping he wasn't completely alone, Jaune spoke to the halls around him, but kept his voice low so as to avoid scaring anyone. "Hello? Is there anybody there?"

There was no response, but that was to be expected. He noticed a sign with an arrow on it, as well as the words 'Assembly Hall'. Deciding that it was as good a place as any to start, Jaune followed the sign. Along the way he noticed a few open doors, and he could see empty classrooms on the other side. Perhaps he wasn't alone.

Eventually, the signs proved their worth, and he found himself standing in front of large double doors. They weren't particularly easy to open, but he soon figured it out and shoved them aside.

The assembly hall was huge and well lit, with a large stage set at the back. None of this was particularly of interest in comparison to the fourteen people who now stood facing him. They all looked like students, so he decided to greet them as such.

He waved to the group, aware that they were all watching him. "Hi guys... uh... what's up?"

Weiss Schnee was first to speak Her voice reflected the cold look she gave Jaune. "Did you just wake up or something? The announcement told us all to be here ten minutes ago!"

Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh... I think I missed that."

Blake Belladonna spoke up. She flicked some of her dark hair out of her face and stared at him with bright yellow eyes. "This school has very high standards, Mr. Arc. Being punctual would be in your best interest. This better not become a habit."

Jaune let his eyes wander up to the large bow on the girl's head. He thought it was a bit odd for someone who acted so serious, but he shook it off. "I'll try to be quicker."

Cardin Winchester crossed his arms and looked down at the smaller boy. "Good. I wouldn't want to have to pound you before I even know you."

Pyrrha Nikos sighed and shook her head. "Well, if we were supposed to be here ten minutes ago, how come no one has come to meet us yet? And I thought there were other students..."

Lie Ren nodded in agreement. "It seems it's just the fifteen of us." He looked at Jaune. "I assume you woke up in a classroom just like the rest of us."

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, I think I lost consciousness as soon as I walked through the gate."

Russel Thrush grumbled at the ground. "What a terrible way to welcome students. Someone's going to get an earful for this one."

Nora Valkyrie jumped in. "I'm actually pretty excited. I mean, think about it! We're in the biggest and best school in the world!"

Dove Bronzewing glanced around, seeming like something was bothering him. "But where are all the other students? There had to be at least a hundred of us when the ship landed."

Another boy, named Carl Leon, just shrugged at the thought. "Maybe they weren't actually students. Maybe they all work here or something."

Ruby Rose spoke shyly from off to the side. "But then where is my sister? She should be here. She said we would be attending together."

There were two girls that looked like twins who were standing together. The first one, named Melanie Malachite, spoke softly to the others. "Perhaps this is how Beacon works. Maybe they only accept fifteen students a year."

Miltiades Malachite, who was indeed Melanie's twin sister, spoke just above a whisper. "You know very well that Beacon has way more graduates than that every year." She said it quietly enough, however, that no one really noticed.

Velvet Scarlatina stood near the back, hoping people would ignore her. She just talked quietly to herself. "I knew coming here was a bad idea. I think I want to go home..."

Sky Lark scoffed at the girl. "I wish you would. I can't believe they even let a freak like you in here."

Jaune quickly realized that Sky was referring to Velvet's rabbit ears. A quick glance told him that no one else present was a Faunus. Any further thought on the subject was cut off by Pyrrha walking over and speaking to him.

"So... Jaune, is it?"

He squinted at her suspiciously. "Uh, yeah... how did you know?"

She smiled and held up a small device, opening it up. "They're called scrolls. They give us, among other things, everyone's names. There's also a map of the school, though it seems to only show the main floor." She handed him one just like her own. "They were just sitting out on the stage, one for each student. They already have our names on them, so this one's yours."

He took it and smiled back at her. "Thanks."

Jaune would have said more, but the overhead speakers suddenly crackled to life. "Attention! Attention all students! Please face the stage and prepare for the orientation, as given by your headmaster!"

When they all had turned to face the stage, a screen slid down into view. Static flew across the screen for a second before they saw the image of their headmaster appear. He was a far cry from what any of them were expecting.

Weiss cried out in dismay and anger. "Who are you? You're not Headmaster Ozpin! What kind of stupid joke is this?"

The face that met them was a blank and expressionless face. It was a mask, in the shape of a Bear. Some of the students recoiled at the sight while others simply stared in confusion. The voice that came from behind the mask sounded purposefully irritating and shrill, making it seem unlikely that the person behind the mask actually sounded like that.

"No, I'm not Ozpin. I am his replacement, and good thing too cause I'm way more awesome! I am..." He threw his hands in the air enthusiastically. "Headmaster Deadb3ar!"

Cardin crossed his arms defiantly. "This is ridiculous. What's going on here?"

Blake stepped in front of him, facing the Bear-faced entity. "Where is Headmaster Ozpin?"

The figure didn't even move as it answered. "He's taking a long rest."

Ren stepped forward this time, catching the subtle hint. "You mean he's dead, don't you?"

Everyone else stared at him, shocked by his accusation. Deadb3ar just laughed, the most irritating and terrifying laugh any of them had ever heard. "Well, if you're already onto it, then I guess I won't keep you waiting. Yes, Ozpin is dead, but don't look at me. I didn't do it. I'm just his replacement."

Weiss jumped at him again. "Like we're going to believe that! What is it you want with us? And where are the other students? What have you done with them?"

"The other students? There were other students, but they're not here anymore. They all left of their own free will, before you start accusing me of whatever. All I did was close the door." In whatever room he was speaking to them from, he jumped up and down. "But that's all beside the point! The school semester has started and I need to explain the rules of the school to you all now!"

Pyrrha voiced what all of them were thinking, shouting at the screen from in amongst the crowd of incredulous students. "What makes you think we're even going to listen to you? We have no reason to believe you or trust you!"

He laughed again. Velvet and Ruby covered their ears, shivering at the sound. Deadb3ar stared down at them, a mean glint in his eyes. "You would be very wise to listen up. All of you would. You could say it's a life or death situation."

Velvet was quietly whimpering to herself. "I want to go home. I want to go home."

The Bear sighed and shrugged. "You can go home if you want. All you have to do is graduate."

She looked up, her tall ears perking up at the information. "G... graduate?"

Jaune wondered out loud. "You mean like finishing four years of school?" Velvet's ears drooped again at this.

Deadb3ar shrugged again. "Oh, it's a lot simpler and quicker than that. You only have to do one thing, really. It's just a matter of how hard that might be..."

Cardin growled impatiently. "And what's that?"

Deab3ar let out another laugh before actually answering the question. "Well, it's like this! To graduate from this school, you have to commit the perfect murder."

The fifteen students stood in silence while this sunk in. Their expressions showed that they were slowly coming to understand what he had just said, and one by one, their dawning realization turned to shocked horror. The silence was broken by a whimpering sound from the back of the group, which turned out to be Ruby instead of Velvet.

Nora suddenly shouted angrily at the Bear. "That's preposterous! You want us to kill people?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "More specifically, Miss Valkyrie, I want you to kill each other."

There were several gasps from the students. It didn't escape Jaune's notice which students in particular seemed more contemplative than horrified. He didn't want to start by pointing fingers, so he said nothing.

Weiss stepped toward the screen threateningly. "This is absurd! Do you know who I am?"

"You are Weiss Schnee, a skilled fighter, talented singer, and the heir to the Schnee Dust Company. That's who you think you are, but in here you are one of two things. You're either a killer or you are a victim. I advise you all to consider very carefully which of those you want to be."

Finished, Deadb3ar stepped off-screen. It then flicked off and retracted into the ceiling. There were a few moments of shocked silence, then people started breaking down.

Jaune looked around him, trying to judge how the others were reacting. Cardin and Weiss were simply glaring at where the screen had been. Blake, Ren, and Carl were staring at the ground, trying to come to grips with the situation. Melanie was trying to console Miltiades, who was whispering frantically to her sister. The other three boys just stood there, exchanging glances. Pyrrha was trying in vain to comfort a tearing Ruby while Velvet wept openly.

In the few seconds it took him to notice Nora was missing. Turning around, he found that she was standing right behind him. She looked at him, scanning him with her green eyes. It was starting to creep him out, so he backed away.

Nora gave a friendly smile. "We should all just wait this out, don't you think? Eventually, that Bear guy will just give up."

Jaune grinned nervously. "Sure. Of course he will."

"Besides..." She skipped over to the stage. "It's not like he can keep us from leaving the school."

The overhead speakers crackled to life again. "By the way, all doors and windows have been covered and sealed. You'd have to be... nah... you can't get out. Might as well accept it now. The only way out is to get away with a murder. Someone do that, please."

Ruby jumped up off the ground and screamed at the speaker. "Screw you! Give me my sister back!"

There was a short pause before Deadb3ar's voice came back. "Oh, the gorgeous blond? Yeah, she's fine. I locked her up with Ozpin."

"Let Yang go, you bastard!" When there was no response, Ruby ran at the wall under the speaker and started pounding at it. "Give Yang back! Give her back now!"

Pyrrha ran to Ruby's side even as the smaller girl slid down to the floor, sobbing heavily. Pyrrha looked back up to Jaune and Nora, beckoning them over. She spoke quietly to them. "I need you two to help me keep this girl safe. She was moved forward two years, so I don't think she's ready for something like this."

Jaune looked at Nora, then back to Pyrrha. "None of us are ready for this. I don't think anyone could ever be ready for something like this."

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, but still, I'm not sure who we can trust. I doubt anyone is stupid enough to do what that lunatic is telling us to do, but I'd like to be sure. I'd appreciate it if you two could help me figure out who is trustworthy and how much."

Nora nodded enthusiastically. "Well, Ren's been my best friend for a long time, so we can definitely trust him."

Jaune held up his hand to get Pyrrha's attention. "Don't take this the wrong way, but what makes you think you can trust us?"

Pyrrha stood up, leaving Ruby curled up on the ground. "Maybe I shouldn't, but if we're going to try to live somewhat normal lives in here, we'd best start by trusting each other. I'd like to trust everyone, but we just don't have that luxury. I have to start by trusting someone and then work from there. So, Jaune, can I trust you?"

He nodded. "Well, yeah... of course you can trust me."

Pyrrha looked back down to Ruby. "She will be seen as weak by the others. If anyone's going to try and kill someone, she's a prime target. We need to protect her."

Everyone saw Ruby, huddled on the ground and shaking, but there was something else that none of them could see. Her mind was racing a million miles and hour, working out every possibility. They were going to protect her. That would work for her. It would make everything that much easier.

* * *

**Author's Note: How do you like my villain? What do you think of my worthless OC? It's okay, he's not going to be around too long.**

**More importantly, I want to know what everyone thinks will happen. If we just accept the fact that this is a murder mystery, I want your thoughts on who dies first and who is responsible. There'll probably be a prize or something if you guess correctly.**


	3. The First Step

**I determined while writing this chapter that, before I killed Carl, I'm going to make you hate him.**

* * *

The rest of the day was spent exploring the school, trying to find any way to escape. No ways out were found, but at least they could also find useful places around the building.

They had split into groups of three, with the exception of Carl saying he would rather not have people who might try to kill him following him around, and the Malachite sisters going off together.

Jaune, along with Weiss and Dove, had found a series of corridors with bedrooms all along them. Pyrrha was keeping an eye on Ruby in the gym, with Russel hanging around and poking into the sports equipment. Nora, Cardin, and Blake were looking through a heavily stocked kitchen, thoroughly amazed by all the food. Ren, Sky, and Velvet had found some stairs leading up, but they were on the other side of a gate.

As Ren turned away from the barrier, Velvet called him back. "There's someone on the other side."

The two boys walked up to the gate and peered through, listening for any sounds. The lights on the stairs had been turned off, but what they saw was unmistakable. Walking down the stairs from the above floors was a dark figure. As they stepped closer, moving slowly in a trance-like march, the three students could make out the huge bulk of the Bear-shaped mask. Deadb3ar walked right past them, turning to go further downstairs.

Ren called after the Bear-headed headmaster. "Why are these gates here?"

Deab3ar turned just as he was taking the first step down, distracted by the question. His foot slipped and he tumbled down the stairs, falling head over heels until he hit the landing at the bottom. It was dark, so they couldn't see very well, but it looked like the Bear mask had fallen off.

Velvet cringed at the sound of the crash. "A-are you okay?"

The person at the bottom of the stairs stood up slowly, no longer having a Bear's face to hide their own. They turned to glance back up the stairs, causing all three students to gasp in shock. They couldn't be sure because it was dark, but it looked like the face of a young woman. Whoever they were, they grabbed the Bear mask and disappeared around the corner. The three of them backed away from the gate, unsure of how to react.

* * *

Jaune and Dove leaned back against the wall opposite a bedroom door, not actually listening as Weiss spieled on about how to unlock the doors. She had already figured out that each student's individual scroll would unlock only their own bedroom, but she was still talking ten minutes later. Jaune was almost wondering if she had said anything of interest since she started. Almost.

Weiss, on the other hand, was fully aware that they had stopped listening. "...and no one can get into your room at night to murder you, an added bonus. Then there's these little images on the door, telling us which room belongs to which student. While I find the crude representation of me to be irritatingly unflattering, I think most of the others do their job quite well." She paused for a mere second before continuing in the exact same tone. "I swear, if I started stripping right now neither of you would notice."

The boys shook themselves back to attention. Jaune blushed. "Wha- what did you just say?"

Weiss sighed in frustration. "I hope you both realize I could have killed you just now."

They exchanged glances, then looked back to her. Dove stayed quiet and let Jaune speak for both of them. "Uh, not to encourage that sort of thing, but... why didn't you?"

Weiss just glared at him. "I'm not sure." She put away her scroll and started walking away. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I came to Beacon to learn to fight monsters and protect Humans. Murdering my fellow students, whether they're worthy of that status or not, would be contrary to my objectives."

Dove spoke up briefly. "So, you're saying you won't kill anyone."

Weiss turned around, glaring icicles at them. "Yes. That's what I'm saying. I would never kill another Human being in my life, and you can count on that." She started to turn around, but added one last piece. "But anyone who attacks me will wish I would kill them."

She walked off, and they followed at a distance. Jaune looked to Dove and whispered quietly. "What about you?"

"I'd notice if she started stripping."

Jaune shook his head. "So would I, but that's not what I'm talking about."

Dove nodded. "The Headmaster wants us to kill each other. That's bunk. No one here is that stupid."

Weiss' voice came from ahead of them, lower and softer than before. "We can only hope so, but most of us can only speak for ourselves. I don't trust anyone, and if you're smart you'll do the same."

* * *

"Maybe you shouldn't start by gorging yourself. You'll be an easy target once you're fat and immobile."

Nora ignored Blake and stuffed another slice of cake into her mouth, savoring the delightful taste of coconut and lemon. She spoke around a full mouth. "You're just jealous." She reached over and grabbed a large glass of milk, drinking down half of it in one gulp.

Blake shook her head. "Jealousy doesn't even begin to describe how I feel."

On the other side of the table from Nora, Cardin was sorting out an actually rounded meal for himself. He had a small bowl of salad at the side of his plate, but he was working on the main course. What Blake guessed was half a whole chicken dominated the plate, surrounded by various vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a small wheel of cheese.

Blake just stood and watched the two eat to their hearts' desires. "I don't think it's a good idea to be eating so much so soon. We probably have limited resources in here."

Nora shook her head. "Have you read your scroll, Blake? There's one section in there that explains that all the food is resupplied overnight. We could live here for years!"

Cardin filled a cup out of a bottle of fruit punch. "Right. So I say here's to five peaceful years right here in Beacon."

Nora lifted her glass of milk and the two drinks clinked together briefly. "Here here!" She drank the rest of her milk and looked to Blake, ignoring the white outline around her mouth. "Blake, mind if I ask you a question?"

Blake sighed and sat down. "As long as it's not about the bow."

Nora seemed lost for a moment, staring at the large black ribbon on Blake's head. She shrugged. "I was wondering about that, but I figure it's your business what goes on your head. No, I was just wondering how seriously you took the Headmaster when he said we had to kill each other to escape."

Blake was silent for a moment, allowing Cardin to interrupt. "He says we have to kill each other to graduate. Seeing as we came here to learn how to protect people, we would actually be utterly failing our goal by killing someone. I didn't come here to fail."

Nora nodded in agreement. "That's great, but I asked her."

Blake sighed and leaned back in her seat, thinking about their situation. Eventually, she stood up and headed for the door. "I don't see any reason to right now... but I can't make any promises." Then she left.

* * *

"So can I trust you?"

Russel stood with his arms crossed, looking like he was considering Pyrrha's offer. He suddenly nodded. "Well, yes. I mean, I can't speak for anyone who attacks me, but I won't go around looking for someone to kill. This whole situation is ridiculous. I think we should just wait it out."

Pyrrha nodded. "Alright, that's all I ask." She looked back down to Ruby. The small girl was huddled in a ball, looking like she had gone to sleep. "I just want to keep her safe. I'm the only other person who saw her sister before all this happened. That means I'm the closest thing she has to someone who will care for her."

Russel was quiet for a moment before he smiled and laughed. "That's a pretty tedious connection." He stepped forward and shook Ruby awake, ignoring Pyrrha's glare digging into his head. Ruby opened her eyes and looked up at him. He just smiled. "Just thought I'd let you know that when we find your corpse we'll know it was Miss Nikos. She's obviously trying to get close to you."

Pyrrha gasped and shoved him away. "Shut it, you..." She made a face that told him she wanted to say something. Eventually giving up, she put Ruby aside and got up, grabbing Russel and dragging him out of the gym. Once out in the hall, she threw him down and closed the door behind her. Only then did she finish her sentence. "You fuck!"

A kick to his stomach kept him down long enough for her to close the gym door, leaving him in the halls. He struggled to his feet, utterly out of breath, and shook his head. "Fiery redhead... nice."

* * *

As they had all agreed, the fifteen students gathered in the dining hall when it was time for supper. They discussed their predicament, most of them ignoring what little food was set out. The general mood was depressed and angry. Most of the students sat at a large rectangle-shaped table at the center of the room.

Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Ruby were seated at one of the outlying smaller circular tables, reporting on how trustworthy the others were. Jaune looked at the other table, counting out all ten of the other students. He turned back to his companions.

"Well, nobody's dead yet. That's a good sign, right?"

Pyrrha glared over at the other table. "Russel probably won't go after anyone directly, but I think he means to get us turned against each other."

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, I don't like him." Pyrrha had figured as much, seeing as Ruby had cheered up almost instantly after he was thrown out of the gym.

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune. "What about Dove and Weiss?"

Jaune shrugged. "He thinks none of us are stupid enough to fall into this. Weiss was kind of angry when I asked her, but I think she said it was beneath her or something. She said she won't kill anyone, but I think there was a threat in there somewhere..."

Nora watched the other table, where Russel and Cardin shoved Velvet around. "I think Cardin's a bully... but he said killing people was stupid because we came to Beacon to protect people. So he's mean, but we can trust him. Blake is... nicer... but when I asked her, she said 'no promises'. What does that mean?"

Pyrrha sighed. "That means she won't kill anyone without a reason. It would help if we knew what she considered a reason. What about your group, Ren?"

The dark-haired boy just shook his head. "Didn't get a chance to ask. We found a staircase that was blocked off by a gate, though, and we saw the headmaster on the other side. He... actually, we think it's a she."

Nora and Ruby gasped simultaneously. Pyrrha leaned forward. "What makes you think so?"

Ren also leaned over the table, lowering his voice. "They fell down the stairs. The... Bear head thing fell off. They looked back up at us and... it looked like a woman."

Their attention suddenly shifted to the other table where Carl was batting Cardin and Russel's hands away from Velvet. "Oh, leave her alone. She's just a confused little girl."

From the other side of the table, Weiss shrugged at their actions. "She's a Faunus. Let them let off some steam at her expense if it keeps them from killing anyone."

Blake looked about to snap back at Weiss when Carl laughed out loud. "Wait, these are real?" He poked at her ears mockingly, causing her to flinch. "I thought she found the drama room's costumes!"

Nearly everyone in the room froze in shock when he grabbed her by her ears and pulled her out of her seat. Before anyone else could react Blake pounced on him and shoved him to the ground, wrapping her hands around his throat and shouting at him. "Leave her alone, you fiend!"

He just grinned wickedly, watching Velvet get up and rush out of the room. "Oh, come now. We all know she'll be the first to go. I'm just trying to get my fair share of fun before she's gone."

Blake practically screamed at him. "You bastard!" She pulled him up and slammed him back into the floor. He just laughed back at her.

Pyrrha ran around the table as Blake stood up, stopping just out of her reach. "Blake, that's enough."

Blake's yellow eyes burned at Pyrrha, the rage plainly visible. "No, it's not enough. He needs to learn a lesson." She reached up over her head and pulled her weapon off her back, shifting it into it's bladed form. She looked down at Carl, who just grinned back up at her. "Treating your fellow students here at Beacon the way you just did will not be tolerated." She looked back at everyone else, taking in their pale stares. "That goes for all of you."

Blake raised Gambol Shroud and slashed down at Carl.

The movement was so fast that no one realized it had happened until it was through. Blake looked down at Carl's still smiling face, then took a step back. "What...?" She looked over at Pyrrha, seeing how pale the girl had gone. Blake took another step back, slowly coming to realize what had just happened. "Uh... shit."

Then Blake fell backwards, crashing onto the table and sliding to the floor, Gambol Shroud sticking straight up out of her body.

* * *

**Author's Note: So... who do you hate more? Me or Carl? And who do you think will be the first murderer and the first victim?**


	4. Black And White

Blake opened her eyes and looked around, finding that she was alone in one of the bedrooms. When she tried to sit up a torrential pain shocked her system, so she resigned herself to being bedridden. Reaching up slowly, she patted her head. She sighed in relief when she found that her bow was still in it's place. Feeling along her body, she found where she had been wounded was wrapped in strips of cloth. Evidently, someone had also put a lot of aura use into healing her. She would have to find out who and thank them.

Looking to the shelf beside the bed, she saw Gambol Shroud sitting and waiting for her to recover. Seeing the weapon reminded her how she was injured. "Carl... bastard's gonna pay for this."

A glance at the clock that was sitting beside Gambol Shroud on the shelf told Blake that it was late at night. She determined that she should try and get some more sleep before morning. Hopefully her body would have had enough time to heal up further by then. Slowly, but surely, she fell back into a deep sleep.

In her sleep, Blake was visited by dreams. They were not happy dreams, but were instead dreams of fear and oppression. She dreamed of crime, her own life, the regrets of her past flooding her. If anyone had been in the room, they would have heard her crying in her sleep. But the dreams moved on past the White Fang, past her shameful life, and past Adam. What followed shook her to the core.

That girl, Ruby, looking back down at her from the top of a cliff. The body of a giant Grimm bird collapsed to the ground as Blake looked on in awe. She turned her head and saw a girl about her age, with flowing blond hair. She knew she had never seen this girl before, but somehow she was familiar. Just beyond the blond girl stood Weiss, the cold hearted heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

Weiss' image filled her vision. _"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"_

_"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"_

Blake's eyes shot open. The door to her room burst open with Pyrrha and Ren rushing in, weapons drawn. Instinctively, Blake tried to jump up and grab Gambol Shroud. Her wound hadn't healed nearly enough for that kind of movement, so she ended up curled up in pain on the floor beside her bed. Blood started soaking through the cloth bandages, staining the floor.

Pyrrha saw what happened and threw down her weapon, running over to Blake. Still running on adrenaline, Blake reached up for Gambol Shroud, frantically clawing at the shelf until her own weapon fell down on top of her. Ignoring the smaller cut that appeared on her shoulder, she grabbed the blade by it's handle and waved it in front of her.

"Get away! Get away from me!"

Pyrrha took a step back, motioning for Ren to stay by the door. "Blake, calm down. We're not trying to hurt you. We were standing guard outside your door for the night. We didn't want anyone taking advantage of your condition."

Blake stopped waving the blade around, but kept it held out towards Pyrrha. "Why wasn't my door locked?"

"This is your room. We couldn't lock the door from the inside without leaving someone in here with you, and we couldn't lock it from the outside because we left your scroll in here."

Blake's mind was racing to remember what else was important. "Well then... what... what does Weiss know about me?"

Pyrrha backed up further, looking Blake over. She was trembling all over, clearly panicking and possibly even traumatized. "Weiss...? What do you mean?"

She shook her weapon angrily. "What does she know about me? My past! Did I say anything to her? Did... did anyone take off my bow?"

"You... Your bow? Blake, what are you talking about?"

Blake saw the look of complete confusion on Pyrrha's face, and a similar one on Ren's. She lowered her weapon. "So... nobody knows anything about me."

Ren sighed and put his weapon away. "There's a few who think you might be crazy, but other than that..."

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, Blake. No one knows anything about you." She looked over to Ren for a moment. "But... we would like to. Some of us do want to be your friends."

Blake nodded, finally putting her weapon on the ground. "Alright... not yet, but alright."

Pyrrha let out her breath, relieved that things were starting to go smoother. "Good... now, you've gone and torn your stitches. You should be more grateful. It took five of us to get you to recover as fast as you have. That's five of us that have been all but defenseless over night."

Pyrrha helped Blake back onto the bed, then set Gambol Shroud back on the shelf. She opened one of the drawers underneath the shelf and pulled out a sewing kit. Blake groaned and fell back into the pillow, wishing she could be unconscious for the next part. Seeing what was coming next, Ren gave a slight bow and left them.

When the door closed, Pyrrha started cutting away at the bandages. "I'm going to have to take off your shirt as well. It'll be easier without it getting in the way. We didn't take it off last time because boys were in the room and because we couldn't get your consent."

Blake gave a small nod. "Fine. Just cut it off. I'm not gonna struggle at trying to pull it off. It would be way too painful."

Pyrrha went to work cutting the material away so that she could get a better look at the wound. She did get a better look at something else as well, but she just blushed and tried to focus elsewhere. Blake also blushed a little, but there was little she could do about the situation.

As Pyrrha worked to close up the wound, Blake thought to ask her a few questions. "The oth- ...the Faunus girl. Velvet. How is she?"

Pyrrha smirked. "She's still asleep in her room. She tired herself out using her aura to help heal you. Nora, Ren, Melanie, and myself also pretty much drained ourselves. Jaune and Weiss kept first watch on your room while the rest of us slept."

Blake closed her eyes and smiled. "Thanks for all this. I'll have to thank them as well."

Pyrrha gave a small laugh. "Add Cardin and Dove to your list of people to thank. They dragged Carl off to a tiny little closet somewhere and blocked him in. We've generally agreed to not let him out until you've fully recovered. Nora wanted to break his legs, but..."

"And I still think we should!"

Standing in the doorway in all her glory was Nora. She even posed for an imaginary camera. A moment later, she was standing over Blake and inspecting the wound. Blake shrunk away from the excitable redhead, unsure of her intentions.

Nora smiled at her. "How are you doing today?"

Before Blake could answer, another person entered the room. "Nora, go play somewhere else. Come on. Ren's in the kitchen."

Blake and Pyrrha watched as Nora pranced out the door and followed Weiss, after which Pyrrha looked back down to Blake. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes." Blake looked skeptical, but at least willing to hear the question first.

Pyrrha sat back, trying to gather the right words before speaking. "What was all that you were saying before, about Weiss and... your bow?"

Blake froze, staring at Pyrrha for a long time. Right when Pyrrha was thinking she wouldn't answer, she spoke just above a whisper. "No one can know, Weiss least of all."

Pyrrha nodded, not really sure where Blake was going. "You can trust me."

Blake sighed, then reached up to her bow. She undid the knot and slowly pulled the ribbon off, revealing a pair of dark-colored cat ears. She watched Pyrrha's reaction carefully, taking note of how the other girl eventually just smirked. It was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking, but Blake was beginning to feel that everything was going to work out alright.

That feeling disappeared the moment the black ribbon was lifted up between their faces, hanging off the end of Myrtenaster. Weiss, who had never actually left, barely managed to keep her rage in check. "I should have known, the way you jumped to protect that girl."

Pyrrha stepped in front of her. "Don't do anything stupid, Weiss."

Weiss let the ribbon slide off her blade and onto the floor, then sheathed the weapon. "I came here to do something stupid, I just didn't know it until now." She made to step forward, but Pyrrha blocked her. Weiss just shoved her aside, a white glow starting to form around her hands. "Ruby is demanding that we all gather in the gym. Blake is one of us, whether she deserves to be or not."

Weiss placed her hands over Blake's wound, letting her aura flow through her and into Blake's body. The wound healed further, causing Blake to cry out in pain. Moments later Weiss moved her hands away and walked over to the door, putting her hand on the wall to stabilize herself after such a heavy drain.

Blake tried sitting up again, realizing that it came a lot easier now. The pain was still there, and the wound was still large, but it was bearable. She looked up at Weiss, still not quite sure why she had helped her heal, but she was grateful. "Weiss... thank you."

Weiss didn't look back at her. "You don't belong here. Just remember that."

Pyrrha waited until Weiss really had gone before walking back to Blake's side. "Blake, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Blake pushed herself into a seated position, planting her feet on the floor. "I'm the one who slipped up."

She stood up, testing herself before letting go of the bed, then opened one of the drawers and pulled out a school uniform. Pyrrha insisted on wrapping fresh bandages around her chest to keep the injury in check before she put the uniform on. When she had finished changing, she wrapped the ribbon around her ears and tied the knot back up. She wasn't ready for everyone to know, and if Weiss felt like telling... well, there would be a big bloody mess on the floor.

They walked to the gym in silence, both quietly wondering why Ruby of all people would have demanded everyone's presence. They walked into the gym and saw everyone else standing and looking towards the stands. When they followed their classmates' stares, they caught sight of something that chilled them both.

Ruby was seated in the back row, looking down at everyone with a childish smile. In her lap, extending several feet in both directions, was a massive scythe. The metal blade on the terrifying weapon gleamed, displaying how clean and sharp the edge was.

Nora broke the silence, possibly being the only one who wasn't struck dumb at the sight of the awesome weapon. "Hi, Ruby! What did you call us here for?"

The smallest and youngest of the group swung her huge weapon over her shoulder with ease. "Well... first I wanted to show you all my weapon. I figure people will be less likely to try and murder me if they know that they'll have to answer to my baby."

Weiss shook her head. "That's great, Ruby, but... what the hell is that?"

Ruby smiled, holding it high for all to see. "She's a scythe that doubles as a sniper rifle."

"And where did you get it?" Weiss' condescending tone seemed to bother everyone except the person it was directed at.

Ruby just shrugged. "I made her when I went to attend Signal Academy."

Before anyone could react to that outrageous claim, a large screen started descending from the ceiling right over Ruby. Noticing her classmates' gazes upwards, Ruby glanced up and gave a yelp of surprise. She jumped off the stands and landed in the crowd, folding up her weapon and hugging it closely.

The screen came to life, showing a figure that was far more startling than any bear mask. They were looking into a dark room with someone seated on a chair. Further back were some curtains that had been drawn shut over a large window. Shallow breathing came from the limp form in front of them, a blindfold covering their eyes and feathered blond hair draped over their shoulders.

Deadb3ar walked into sight behind the weakened girl. His harsh high-pitched voice cut into their minds. "Here's an idea. If no one commits a murder in the next twenty-four hours, something dreadfully terrible will happen to this girl."

Ruby jumped forward. "That's Yang! Let her go! Let my sister go!"

Deadb3ar just laughed at her cries. "It's simple, Ruby, but not that simple. If you want, I can throw in some extra incentives for the rest of you. There are video clips that have been put onto your scrolls. Each one is a personal message from families and loved ones. You know, to give you something to go home to. Feel free to enjoy them at your leisure, and keep in mind that this girl's life is at stake here."

The screen flicked off and retracted into the ceiling. Ruby collapsed to her knees and started sobbing, all the strength she had worked up suddenly draining out of her. The others began to drift away from the scene, most of them wondering if they wanted to see the videos they had been given. Blake just stood and watched as Pyrrha went to try and comfort Ruby. She didn't notice that Weiss was standing beside her until she spoke.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like something funny is going on."

Blake eyed her incredulously. "I don't see anything funny about any of this."

Weiss glared at her. "Don't get catty with me. Perhaps you would prefer I say that something phony is going on."

"What do you mean?"

The heiress lowered her voice. "Maybe you were too busy looking at the pitiful little girl whose life could already have been snuffed, but I was looking at the rest of the picture. For your information, that was a recording. It was not a live feed."

Blake lowered her voice to match. "How can you know that?"

"At the top, I could see between the curtains. The sky seemed black and a bit too starry for half an hour to noon. That video was recorded at night. Maybe last night, maybe not. But it didn't just happen."

"But he responded directly when Ruby yelled at him."

Weiss turned away. "Did he? So is the night sky the liar, or is Ruby?"

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm simultaneously setting up multiple things in this chapter, including multiple future murders. So I ask you what Weiss asks. Can we really trust Ruby?**


	5. For Your Thoughts

Weiss opened up her scroll, seeing the icon that indicated a new video message. She was seated in the dining hall, along with all of the others. It had been generally agreed that everyone needed to be in the same room for this, otherwise someone might be more inclined to commit murder. None of them knew what to expect, but Weiss was sure a message from her father was not going to be pleasant.

She had separated herself from everyone else, not being particularly fond of anyone. Very few of them actually deserved to be here as much as she did, but all of them wanted it. She was strong enough to be here, and more than strong enough to surpass them all, but she never wanted to be a huntress. They didn't belong here, and she did.

She also didn't want to chance anyone else hearing her father deriding her. They didn't need to know how little he thought of her, or that she didn't want to be here, and especially that she had purposefully tried to fail the entrance exams. It wasn't their business.

The video started playing, showing Weiss exactly what she had been expecting. Her father was seated in a large cushy chair, staring through the camera and right into her eyes.

_"First off, Weiss, I want you to know that I am indeed pleased that your grades are consistently high."_

That sentence seemed out of place. She hadn't expected him to praise her at all, but grades? She could recall no grades being a part of anything she did at Beacon. Then it struck her that Deab3ar had probably sent fake grades to all of their parents to keep up appearances.

_"However, I was gravely disappointed when I learned that you were not made the leader of your team. I genuinely had hoped you would be more of a success than this."_

It not only seemed Deab3ar wanted to keep their families in the dark, but that he also was whimsical when it came to ruining their relationships with people. Weiss was not part of any team. The teaming process had never even taken place. She knew that if it had, she would undoubtedly have been made team leader of team WEIS or something.

She zoned out as he continued speaking, not really wanting to hear a lecture. She nearly missed the point where the screen flickered out and the image changed. The camera hadn't moved position, but her father was no longer seated in the chair. It took her a moment longer to notice the large gashes on the chair, looking almost like claw marks. More violent markings were scratched into the wall and the shelves around the room. The window behind the chair had been shattered and her father's desk was a mess, with many items that would usually be there either scattered across the desk and in pieces or simple missing altogether.

A small sound escaped Weiss' mouth as the video changed again. She had no idea what to do now. How was she supposed to react to this? Was her father dead, or was it just a trick? A gasp or two from around the room told her that the others were receiving similar videos.

Small letters appeared on the screen, conveying the message that she feared was to follow. Without your father and the company, you're not really anything at all. All you are now is just a victim waiting to die.

Across the room, Ruby jumped out of her seat and fell to the floor, tears starting to stream down her face as her scroll was left abandoned on the table. Nora and Ren just stared at their scrolls in shock. Blake and Pyrrha were starting to look a little panicked. Melany and Miltia simply looked confused and a little worried. Cardin and Russel were reacting angrily while Sky and Dove looked deep in thought.

Jaune looked over to Velvet, expecting that she would have broken down. Instead, he found that she had pulled herself together surprisingly quick. He leaned over to her. "Are you, uh… okay?"

She shook her head, allowing her long floppy ears to bounce around her. "N-no… I'm not… b-but don't worry about me."

There was a high-pitched wail as Ruby ran out the door. Pyrrha jumped up and ran after her, calling for her to stay with the group. By the time she reached the door, Ruby had disappeared completely. Pyrrha turned to face everyone else.

"We have to go find her."

Most of the others were getting up, preparing to do just that when Weiss called them to a halt. "Is that really such a good idea?"

"Oh, not this again." Blake stepped toward Weiss, making a swiping motion with her arm. "Why are you so quick to dismiss everyone as an incompetent or a fiend?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the girl in from of her. "That's not my concern right now. I'm more worried about what will happen when someone finds Ruby."

Blake rushed forward a few steps, closing the distance between them. "She's a fifteen year old girl! She's not going to kill any of us!"

"I'm equally concerned for Ruby, actually." Weiss looked to everyone else. "I'm guessing we all got somewhat the same message. Something meant to make us worry about our families and friends?"

Nora nodded, speaking for everyone. "Yeah, but... my parents would want me to survive and help others survive too. Just because something's happened to them doesn't make me want to kill anyone."

Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "No offense, but I don't believe you. Any or all of you could say the same, and I still wouldn't believe you. Each of us can only know our own intentions. There's no way to know what Ruby is thinking right now, but if any one person finds her I can guarantee someone will die."

Carl leaned back in his seat, never having bothered to stand up. "I say fuck the brat. She wants to run off and hide, then so be it."

Weiss growled at him. "And what if she comes hunting you down with that super scythe thing? You can't even hide in your room with something like that. She'd be able to blow your door clean off it's hinges!"

Pyrrha yelled at Weiss from the doorway. "You underestimate Ruby! She's a better person than you'll ever be!"

Weiss shot back. "You keep thinking that, sister! One day you'll wake up dead with the beak end of a weapon straight out of hell sticking in your throat!"

Blake's blade was at Weiss' throat. Cold blue eyes met burning amber ones. "I should just get rid of you right now."

Weiss' glare could have frozen a lesser person. "Just try it. I'm faster than Carl."

No one dared to breathe, waiting for something to happen. Then, as if appearing only to validate how far downhill things had gone, Deadb3ar's voice cut through the room.

"You know, it's no fun if you kill someone in front of everyone else. You're supposed to leave everyone guessing."

Blake lowered her blade from Weiss' chin, though not because Deadb3ar had convinced her. She yelled up at the speaker. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?"

The answer came back almost immediately. "What I want? It's simple, really. I want you to despair. That is all." The speakers cut out.

The silence that followed lasted a minute or two before it was broken by Melanie. "We need to find Ruby, otherwise she's likely to kill someone to save her sister. I say we split into search teams of five. Blake, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, and Velvet will be one team. The other team will consist of Jaune and..." She looked over at Cardin and the other boys, then made a face. "...and the douche bros."

Cardin stood up, sneering at her. "Hey, listen here, princess-"

Dove interrupted. "You said five, so maybe I should go with them too." Cardin glared back at him, to which he just shrugged.

Melanie gave a light sigh. "How tactful of you. Anyway, myself and Miltia will stay here and keep a close eye on the bitch and the psycho, so the rest of you can search for Ruby without any worries."

Carl interjected. "I detest being called a bitch, by the way."

Nora appeared behind him, delivering a hefty blow to the back of his head with the handle of her hammer. "Stop talking please." She watched him collapse onto the table, no longer conscious, then turned to the others. "I like Melanie's plan. Let's do that."

The afternoon and evening was spent searching for Ruby in this manner, but no progress was made. She had simply vanished. When nighttime came and they went to their rooms, they traveled in a single group. The group kept getting smaller until it was just Jaune and Pyrrha left.

When they came to Jaune's door, he turned to Pyrrha and waved goodnight. She smiled and waved back, then turned to leave only to have him call her back. "Hey, uh, Pyrrha... would it be alright if we, uh, got together sometime? You know, like, in private?"

Her smile briefly dropped. "I'm sorry, Jaune, but you know that's not a good idea right now." The smile quickly returned, giving him some hope. "But maybe after things calm down."

He nodded. "Yeah... when things calm down."

She turned and walked of. "Anyway, tonight I'm going to be at Ruby's room, keeping watch for her. Wish me luck in getting her back."

"Okay... uh, good luck!"

She waved goodnight, then disappeared around the corner. Jaune sighed and went inside his room, closing the door behind him and locking it. He walked over to his bed and lay down, trying to go to sleep. Thoughts of the day's events kept coming to mind, preventing sleep from happening, until even those thoughts were abolished by the sound of someone at his door.

The door shook as if someone was trying to pull it out of the wall from the other side. The handle twisted and the hinges groaned under the pressure. Jaune got up from his bed and walked over to the door as quietly as possibly. Once he was right beside the door, he called out to whoever was on the other side.

"Hello? Who's there?"

He started mentally counting all the voices he didn't want to hear responding, and then the ones he really didn't want to hear. What he eventually did hear was quite different from anything he could have guessed. Heavy breathing came out between the words delivered in a monotone voice. His mental image of whoever was talking could be nothing other than a large snake.

"Go to sleep, Jaune. I hope you're ready for what tomorrow has in store for you."

He shivered and backed away from the door. The noises stopped, but he could no longer hope to sleep. He settled down on his bed, keeping himself wide awake for the rest of the night.

* * *

The boy stalked through the darkened halls of Beacon, hunting for anyone he could find. It didn't matter if it was someone who would open their door for him or just someone else wandering around with the same goal in mind as him. The result would be the same if he found that girl Ruby. He needed to get out of Beacon, and he was finally willing to do anything to achieve that goal.

Unfortunately for him, some people were better at sneaking around in the dark than he was. He didn't see the dark shape moving towards him until much after they slammed into his back, sending him tumbling down the hall. He looked back up at the figure before him.

"You... I should have known you'd attack someone."

Despite the darkness, he could still make out the shape of a girl. He could see the short hair and the silver eyes. Most of all, he could see the large weapon in her hands.

Ruby charged at him, knocking him down and swinging her scythe over her head. He quickly kicked her in the stomach, causing her to crumple up in pain. He got up and grabbed her, slamming her into the wall. Ruby reached up and grabbed his wrist, twisting it and breaking out of his grasp. Seeming to have given up on the attack, Ruby ran for it.

He gave chase, running after her as fast as he could. She disappeared around a corner far ahead of him, but he kept going. He turned the corner and felt the handle of the large weapon smack him in the face. He fell to the ground again and looked up at his attacker. She held her weapon over her shoulder, now grinning madly down at him.

"You should have stayed in your room, Russel."

* * *

Deadb3ar stood in the headmaster's office, looking out the window at the slowly rising sun. "Well, the first murder has taken place. Such wonderful timing too. Oh, the despair it will bring when they find out what has happened... I can't wait to show them how the trials work. It'll be plenty of fun to watch, don't you think?"

Behind Deadb3ar, tied into the late Professor Ozpin's chair, Yang Xiao Long slumped forward. Her eyes were red with rage, but she couldn't escape the bindings around her. She just looked up at the Bear-masked fiend. "Fuck you."

Deadb3ar turned around and slapped her. "Hey now, no swearing at school staff! It's against regulations!"

Yang spat. "I said fuck you! You're not Beacon staff and you never will be! I trusted you! We all trusted you! This... this is insanity!"

Deadb3ar just shrugged and sat down. "Yeah, you're right. It is madness. But that's what's fun about it, right? Anyway, it may take a bit longer, but you'll see it from my side eventually. You'll come over." Deadb3ar looked over to the third person in the room. "What about you? You excited?"

She nodded, grinning. "Oh yes! I can't wait to find out who did it and serve them justice!"

Deadb3ar looked back to Yang. "See? Like that! Learn to enjoy life a bit more and maybe you'll live longer. Wouldn't want to end up like those guys." Deab3ar finished by motioning to a pile of bodies stacked in the corner of the room. "Ozpin... Glynda... they have no sense of fun. I thought Junior or Torchwick might be more into it, but apparently once you're an adult it just falls out of you. Do you know how many people I had to go through before I found the assistance I needed? If she hadn't shown up, I'd likely still be looking for some good help."

The person standing nearby nodded eagerly. "I am always glad to help a friend! Shall we get the student trial room prepared? Or would you like me to torture Yang for a bit longer?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Did you see that coming? Did you see any of that coming? Can you see what's coming next? Still accepting guesses for the first murder! Who did it and who is it?**


	6. First Trial: The Murder

The next morning, Blake walked into the dining hall to find only a few had arrived before her. Velvet, Ren, and Sky sat at one table, though they were all keeping to themselves, and Weiss sat off in the corner reading a book. Cardin and Dove walked in behind her, having gotten up at about the same time. They sat down with the other students, lounging around as they waited for… what?

Blake looked around the room, making sure she hadn't missed anything. What was everyone waiting for? She started to wonder if they had followed the routine yesterday as well, and that's why she was confused. Her question was answered when the door to the kitchen opened and Melanie came out wearing a school uniform and pushing a trolley of food.

Melanie pushed the food into the corner, then stopped and covered it. "Nobody touch it until I get back. I need to get my lazy-ass sister out of bed." She stormed out the door, and Blake heard her muttering something. "She was supposed to be helping me in the kitchen."

Blake sat down beside Ren and waited for the others to arrive. She hoped everyone would arrive safely, but she had a funny feeling that someone was no longer with them. She hated to admit it, but it seemed likely that either Ruby had gotten to someone, or someone had gotten to Ruby.

A few minutes passed, and Jaune walked into the room. He waved to everyone before realizing that no one was really paying attention to him, so he sat down. Not long after, Carl showed up. He uttered some sort of greeting that no one wanted to hear, then sat down. Next came Miltia, and Russel arrived shortly after her.

Blake watched Miltia as she sat down. "Your sister went to get you. Where is she now?"

Miltia paled ever so slightly. "She did come and get me… I… I think she's somewhere between here and… my room."

Cardin butted into their talk. "Well, go get her. She told us not to touch the food until she got back, and we're all hungry."

Jaune looked around, counting who else was missing. "Hey, Ren. Where's Nora?"

Ren just shrugged. "If she's not sleeping in, then she's probably just wandering around. She has fun like that. Where's Pyrrha?"

"She said she was going to wait outside Ruby's room to make sure she got back safely."

Silence fell across the room. Weiss closed her book and stood up. "Well, then we should go and check on her. Perhaps we'll find Melanie and Nora along the way."

Jaune soon found himself at the head of the pack, leading Weiss, Blake, Velvet, Ren, and Miltia to the spot Pyrrha had told him she would be. The other boys had all stayed behind, and Jaune suspected there wouldn't be much food left when they got back.

They found Melanie standing in the middle of the hall. She stopped them before they came too close. "Do you smell that?"

The hall was silent except for the sounds of people sniffing. Eventually, Weiss shrugged. "It just smells clean."

Melanie glared at her. "It doesn't smell clean. It smells like cleaner. None of the other halls have this smell, and this one didn't have it last night."

Blake nodded, seeing where she was going. "There's probably some cleaner in the kitchen. So who was trying to clean something up? And what were they trying to clean?"

"No. That's not it." Melanie shook her head. "Although they may have wanted to clean something, the main intent was more likely to cover up the smell of blood."

Jaune took a step back and glanced around worriedly. "Uh... blood?"

Blake looked over to Jaune. "How far away is Ruby's room?"

Jaune caught the hint. "Oh no... Pyrrha!" He ran off ahead of the group, almost knocking Melanie over as he went.

He turned a few corners, sure he wasn't far from Ruby's room. When he finally found it he took special note of the fact that Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen. He stepped up to the door carefully and went to knock on it, but he noticed that it was already open a crack.

He pushed on the door, letting it slowly creak open. The room was a mess, with pillows everywhere and the blanket from the bed was on the floor. The chair had been overturned and was lying next to the blanket. His eyes widened at the sight of Pyrrha's weapon poking out from under the blanket. Then he noticed the red and black scythe leaning against the wall in the corner.

He looked to the other door in the room, fearing what he would find behind it. He could see it now, Pyrrha lying in a pool of blood on the floor of the washroom. He didn't want to see it, but he had to be sure. His hand grabbed the doorknob and turned it. He opened the door, and what he saw was something he could never have been prepared for.

The rest of the group was walking at a casual speed, wondering if Jaune had found Pyrrha safe and sound. The peace was not to last, as a piercing scream erupted from the room ahead of them.

Weiss jumped forward. "Some girl's in trouble!" The others raced after her, running into the room.

Blake was about to follow them, but something felt off. It felt like she had heard that line before, but she knew she didn't remember it from anywhere. Thoroughly bothered, she shook the thought away and ran after them. In the room, she found everyone gathered around a fallen Jaune. His face was covered with a soft white towel.

Pyrrha's voice came from the washroom. "Can you all please vacate the room? We've got nothing but towels in here. Take Jaune with you. I think he fainted."

They dragged Jaune's unconscious form out of the room and closed the door. After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal Ruby and Pyrrha dressed in their school uniforms. Pyrrha reached down and picked up the towel that the others had left on Jaune's face.

Weiss looked at her oddly. "Just out of curiosity, was that your scream or Ruby's?"

Pyrrha gave her a quizzical look. "That? That was Jaune."

As Jaune slowly came to, Weiss went about quizzing Pyrrha. Blake, however, noticed Ren breaking off from the group. She left the others standing outside Ruby's room, following Ren back to the hallway where they had found Melanie. She stopped a few meters away from him, watching his actions closely.

Ren glanced back at Blake. He moved to the nearest door. "This is Nora's room." He touched the door, only for it to open. It wasn't even closed properly. He pushed it open all the way, then stepped in.

Blake followed Ren into the room, noting that the smell of cleaner gave way to a stronger one, a horrid smell. Blood. On the walls. On the floor. On the dresser. On the bed. And on Nora.

She sat at the back of the room, propped up against the wall, staring back at them. Judging by her face alone, one would think she was fine. But they could see the rest of her. Blood covered most of her uniform, dripping down her arms and pooling on the floor. Ren knelt down beside her. Blake could see tears forming in his eyes.

Someone walked past the door. Blake turned to see Carl standing there, inspecting the room. He noticed her and gave a smile. "Poor little Nora, right? She wasn't my pick for the first to go, but that just makes everything easier."

She was about to shoot back at him when Ren stood up and made to attack the other boy. Trying to keep Ren from making the same mistake she had, Blake stepped in the way. She held him back with one hand while keeping the other hand towards Carl in case he tried anything.

Deadb3ar's voice suddenly echoed through the halls of the school. "A corpse has been found! Repeat, a corpse has been found! All remaining students please return to the Assembly Hall for instructions on the next phase."

Blake looked to Ren, who opened his mouth to speak but couldn't form any words. She could see the pain and grief in his eyes. She spoke softly, her own tears starting to choke her up. "Let's go... the others will need to know."

Ren nodded, following Blake out of the room. She closed the door behind them, then led him to the Assembly Hall. Carl had already gone ahead, but Blake was already compiling all the evidence against him in her mind. She knew he had to be the one responsible, and she would make sure he paid.

The two of them stepped into the Assembly Hall to see that all the others had arrived before them. As the others saw them walk in, the realization of who the victim was hit them. Blake nodded slowly, confirming what they all knew. She wanted to say something, and she tried, but she couldn't. Nora was gone, and there was nothing they could do or say to change that.

The large screen at the head of the room flicked on, startling the small crowd. Deadb3ar's emotionless mask stared down at them. An evilly shrill laugh came from the diabolical headmaster. "Are you starting to despair, my lovelies?"

Pyrrha turned and yelled up at the Bear. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing this?" Deadb3ar's voice carried a touch of confusion. "I didn't do this. The murderer was not me. It's one of you." Instant suspicion crawled through all of their minds. They looked at each other, wondering who could possibly be responsible. Then Deadb3ar continued. "I believe it's time to go over the rules for the next part of our little game."

Ren growled and jumped up. "This is a game to you? You're sick!"

Melanie stopped him this time. "Next part? There's more to this?"

"Indeed!" The image of Deadb3ar bounced up and down excitedly. "Next comes the class trial, where the remaining students try to determine who is responsible for the murder!"

Weiss glanced at the students around her, a smug look on her face. "I remember. You said we had to commit the perfect murder to graduate. If the class trial uncovers the culprit, then they fail. Right?"

Deadb3ar nodded in confirmation. "True, true, and now to elaborate. See, the class trial ends with a punishment. There will be an investigation, and then the trial takes place. After you've all sorted out who you believe to be guilty, we will take a vote. If the majority votes correctly, the murderer will be restrained and punished. However, if the vote accuses someone who was not the real murderer, then everyone else will be punished and the true murderer will graduate."

Blake looked around, noticing that everyone seemed to be taking this new information considerably well. She could feel that there was something missing from the explanation. "What is this… punishment?"

Deadb3ar coughed. "What is it? Isn't that obvious by how we do things around here? Execution!"

The shocked silence lasted barely a few seconds before Pyrrha broke it. "You would execute all of us just for guessing wrong?"

"A fair punishment for letting the murderer get away, don't you think?" The students were too stunned to respond, so Deadb3ar took it as a sign that they agreed. "I'll give you a period of two hours for the investigation. Spend it wisely."

The screen went dark. Ren fell to his knees, feeling the despair Deadb3ar had wished on them all. There was no way to tell who could have done it. His mind was screaming, telling him to find who was responsible and to… do what? Could he kill someone else, even after something like this? He felt Pyrrha and Jaune on either side of him, putting the thoughts out of his mind.

Pyrrha lowered her voice so only the three of them could hear. "Nora wouldn't want the killing to continue. You know that, right?"

Ren nodded. "We still need to figure out who killed her. But… I can't go back in that room. I can't see her like that again."

Blake called everyone's attention. "We should start our investigation. Carl, I'll need your help with something."

He rolled his eyes, pretending to ignore her as she approached him. "Is this where you all start accusing me?"

Blake stopped in front of him and held out her hand. "Regrettably, this is where I start clearing your name. Give me your hand."

He held out his hand, letting her take it. She grabbed his wrist and started crushing it in her grip. Carl cried out in pain and dropped to his knees. He reached up and tried to pry her hand off of him, but she just grabbed his other hand and pushed him down. He tried to struggle, but she smashed her knee into his face. Carl dropped back onto the ground, unconscious.

Blake looked back at everyone and shrugged. "It'll go a lot better if he's not helping us investigate."

Cardin gave a laugh. "I think I'm starting to like you."

Weiss looked down at Carl. "Ugh… I thought you said you were going to clear his name."

Blake sighed. "Carl's fast, but he's not very strong. If we find that Nora was overpowered, then it couldn't have been Carl."

Melanie walked over to the door leading out of the room. "Then we had better begin."

* * *

**Author's Note: So... what happened? Next chapter: The Investigation.  
**


	7. First Trial: The Investigation

Weiss shook her head. "We don't even know how she was killed. How are we supposed to figure out who did it?"

Blake, who was kneeling down beside Nora's limp and bloody form, glared back at the heiress. "We can at least consider motives. Tell me, who is the most volatile person in our group? The one that has the most to go back to when they escape? Who could that be?"

Pyrrha knelt down across from Blake. "Stop it. You don't know that."

Weiss glanced around the room at the others gathered. "You know what we do know? We do know that someone ran off and went missing yesterday, and that they weren't seen again until this morning. The same person just happens to have a close family member who has been directly threatened by Deadb3ar."

Blake jumped up and got in Weiss' face. "What are you trying to do?"

Weiss just yelled back at her. "I'm trying to get everyone to realize who the prime suspects really are!"

"You're just trying to incriminate Ruby!"

"Not just Ruby!" Weiss turned back to everyone else. Ren, Velvet, and Carl were the only ones absent, as Carl and Velvet were unconscious and Ren couldn't bear to see his friend in such a condition. Weiss looked at each of them in turn. "The way I see it, there are three prime suspects."

Jaune looked around, trying to figure out who those three could be. "Uh... who?"

Weiss crossed her arms, ignoring the hole being burned into the back of her head by Blake's glare. "First, of course, there's Ruby. She went missing last night, and she didn't show up again until after Nora was dead. She had the opportunity and the motive, with her sister being held hostage."

Ruby just shook her head sadly. "I... I can't defend myself there..."

"Second is Pyrrha."

Pyrrha looked up, shocked. "What?!"

"I'm not sure about the motive, other than getting out of here, but she definitely had the opportunity. She was waiting out in the hallway all night, keeping watch for Ruby. She could have gone over to visit Nora at any moment throughout the night, and Nora would trust her enough to let her in."

Pyrrha jumped up, pushing past Blake. "That's absurd! I would never hurt anyone! Not even... Not even you!"

Blake added another bit. "If anyone is the prime suspect, it's you!"

Miltia spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "Actually, the jerk-ass is usually innocent..." She stopped when she noticed everyone was staring at her.

Melanie punched her arm. "Well done. You just cleared Carl and Weiss."

Cardin laughed at that. "Alright, then who's most likely to be the culprit?"

Miltia started sweating under the weight of the gazes. "Um... well, in one I saw, the quiet shy girl who fainted at the sight of blood was actually a serial killer..."

Blake shook her head. "I don't know what your source is, but we are not going there. Velvet is as innocent as Ru-"

"Nora was killed by a large bladed weapon."

Blake turned to Pyrrha. "What? How do you know that?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I inspected the wound." She held up her hand, showing that it was covered in blood. "It's not as fun as it sounds. Can I get to the washroom so I can clean this off."

A number of the others filed out of the room, allowing Pyrrha access to the washroom and the sink within. Blake and Melanie stayed behind, with Miltia and Jaune standing in the doorway. After a few seconds of silence, Melanie approached Nora's body.

Blake arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Melanie glanced up at her, then lifted Nora's arm. "Tell me you noticed this."

Blake looked. They had been hidden behind her arm, but now she could see them. Five small numbers, written on the wall in blood. "What is that?"

Melanie read the numbers off slowly. "One-one-zero-three-seven. It looks like she wrote it down before she died."

Pyrrha joined them, taking in the new discovery. "She left us a message?"

Melanie shook her head, then stopped. "Wait... the smell of cleaner in the hall. She was killed out in the hallway, then brought back in here. She only could have written it if she was still alive when the killer dragged her back to her room."

Blake nodded. "Then, when they were busy getting rid of the smell of blood in the hall, she wrote these numbers."

Melanie dropped Nora's arm back into place. "Then she died. She either couldn't hold on any longer, or the killer returned and finished the job. Too bad her message means nothing."

* * *

Ren, Weiss, Sky, and Ruby were in Ruby's room. They were hoping to find anything that could prove neither Pyrrha nor Ruby was responsible. Ren in particular hoped they would find good evidence that they were innocent. He had placed his trust in them, and he would not have it shattered.

Weiss was the opposite. She seemed determined to prove that one of the two was guilty. It was almost as if she wanted to get rid of them, or possibly, shift the blame off of herself. Ren was sure many of the others had started to suspect Weiss.

As for the other two, Ruby had come along to defend herself and Pyrrha in the other's absence. Sky was simply there to be the neutral party. No one gave any particular care to him, which quickly made Ren realize how helpful the blue-haired boy would be.

Weiss stepped away from the washroom and around the bed, stopping right in front of Ruby. "When Jaune found you and Pyrrha, the two of you were in the shower, right?"

Ruby nodded. "Just getting out of the shower."

Weiss gave her a questioning look. "Why were you showering together? Is there something you would like to tell us?"

Ruby's face, as well as the two boys' faces, turned red. "Uh... well... we were just... I needed a shower and she needed a shower, so we decided to save some time. It's like, you know, we're both girls so what's the problem? It's not like I was in the shower with a fully grown man or anything. Besides, can you honestly say you've never showered with another girl before?"

Weiss crossed her arms and fixed Ruby with a glare. "Never."

There was an awkward silence, eventually ended by Sky coughing and raising his hand. "I've never showered with a girl either."

Weiss turned around and stomped the floor. "Oh, grow up! I can't believe I'm stuck in here with you... you... guh!" She stomped again and stormed out the door.

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose over to herself and unfolded it, showing it to the boys. "Anyway, as you can see, there is no blood on my weapon. Trust me, it's ridiculously hard to properly clean, and I think Pyrrha would have noticed blood on it. Especially if I had to clean it in front of her."

Ren stepped to the door. "And I take it you can vouch for Pyrrha as well." Ruby nodded. "Well, then I can only see one possible answer. Weiss."

* * *

Velvet stood out in the hallway, waiting for everyone to come out of Nora's room. She had fainted as soon as she entered and saw the blood. She didn't want to repeat that embarrassing moment, so she was trying to steel herself for the next time. She wanted to be able to help the investigation, and to do that she would have to go into the room. She would have to see Nora again.

Her nose twitched, bothered by the smell of the cleaner. It wasn't the best smell in the world, and after a while it was more than the smell that was bothering her. She looked both ways down the hall to see if anyone was there, but she could only see Jaune and Miltia standing in the doorway to Nora's room. A thought started coming to her, and she acted on it.

Her first stop was the kitchen, and after some searching she found a cupboard containing a few bottles of cleaner as well as other cleaning equipment. She took one and unscrewed the lid, moving it to her nose. The smell was just as bad as the one in the hall outside Nora's room, but she could tell the difference. She closed the bottle and put it back, moving on to the next cleaner. She repeated the process until she was sure that the cleaner used in the hall was not one from the kitchen.

Then she moved to the gym, and at the back she found a large closet full of sports equipment. She looked over the rack full of Hockey equipment, the folded up Basketball nets, the large mess of a Tennis net, and the portable plates for Baseball. Just behind the nets for Football, she spotted exactly what she came for. There was a large stack of mats, usable for a number of things including for fighting tournaments. Her evidence was sitting on a small shelf beside the mats.

* * *

Cardin, Russel, and Dove had moved back to the assembly hall, where they waited until Carl woke up. Then they decided to start questioning him. This time, however, they would be questioning him Cardin's way.

Carl slid across the floor for several meters before slamming into the stage at the head of the room. He had flown several meters more before he even hit the floor. Cardin stepped towards him, hoisting his mace over his shoulder.

"See, Carl, I figure the best way to get a confession out of you is to beat it out of you. I won't even bruise your pride like Blake would. Let's face it. Being beaten by a guy twice your size is far better than being beaten by a girl who, on any other day, you'd probably try to look up her skirt."

Carl sat up, holding his hand to him bruised chest, but laughing all the same. "When she knocked me out, I didn't actually lose consciousness until after I hit the ground. I guess you could say that I'd try to look up her skirt any other day, but today I actually did."

Cardin gave pause, working that thought through his mind. He let his weapon drop from his shoulder, the head hitting the ground heavily, then leaned on it. "That's... pretty funny actually. You humiliate her while she's humiliating you."

Carl nodded, then started laughing quietly. Cardin joined him in laughing, and soon Russel did as well. The three of them laughed, growing louder and louder. Then Carl hit the wall and slid down to the floor in a heap.

Cardin shouldered his weapon again, sneering at the far smaller boy. "Doesn't matter if it was funny, though. You're an asshole, and nobody likes you."

Carl sat up and shrugged. "So they all want to see me get executed. So what? I'll enjoy knowing that all but one of you will die with me."

Cardin considered his words for a moment before smiling cheerfully. "Well, Carl, I can definitely say the same about you. Unless the others have some really good evidence on someone else, you have my vote."

Carl nodded, grinning. "I've got mine too. It's a sure way to take everybody down at once, ain't it." He looked over to Russel. "What about it? Can I count on your vote?"

Russel looked conflicted for a moment, then he chuckled. "Ah, screw it. Might as well."

Cardin reached out his hand to Carl, helping him to his feet. "Cause if we're all gonna die we might as well take this asshole with us, right?"

Russel waved his hand and started walking away. "Yeah, sure. That."

Cardin grunted and punched Carl back down. "That is, of course, if no one can prove someone else did it."

Dove had stayed silent the entire time, standing off to the side and observing them. He noted everything they said, trying to determine if they were lying and how well they were lying. It seemed to be that either Carl was telling the truth, or he was really good at lying.

The doors opened and people started arriving. Weiss was first, keeping her distance from everyone as they walked in and giving suspecting looks toward everyone. Dove watched intently, noting every little thing Weiss did. Every move and every glance was caught in his memory.

Jaune looked around the room at everyone. His fellow students. One of them was guilty, but which one. Pyrrha tried to give him a hopeful smile. Ren avoided making eye contact altogether. Ruby shuffled her feet around innocently. Weiss glared icicles into everyone she could see. Blake barely contained her building rage. Cardin crossed his arms and acted too superior to have killed. Dove studied the people around him, looking for hints. Russel leaned against the wall, humming some tune. Sky looked around himself, trying to figure out where he was going to start in the trial. Melanie tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Deab3ar to show up. Miltia hid behind her sister, staring at the ground.

Jaune wasn't sure who he thought did it. He hoped for all their sakes that someone had a clue. As such, it was the last two who caught his attention. Carl noticed his gaze and met it, his mouth taking the shape of a malicious grin. The boy almost looked like a rabid snake about to pounce on a small rabbit. Jaune shuddered and looked away, turning his eyes to the small rabbit.

Velvet wasn't shaking. She wasn't shuddering or fidgeting or crying. The whimpering and stuttering had gone. She just looked determined, a bottle of something in one hand and a cloth in the other. She looked to him like she had found something important.

Deadb3ar's voice called out through the speakers. "All students, please head to the Class Trial Room. The door is at the back of the stage in the Assembly Room."

* * *

**Author's Note: Can you piece it together? There are subtle enough hints that should make it possible to guess, but I want this to play out like Dangan Ronpa did. On another note, I can now say that I know exactly how this is going to end. I want to drive you all up the wall with it.**


	8. First Trial: The Trial

Through the double doors at the back of the stage, in the Class Trial Room, Jaune stood in his spot around the circle. There were sixteen spots in all, a railing taking the appearance of sixteen semicircles arranged in a larger circle so that the students were all facing each other.

He looked around the circle, starting at Weiss on his left. After her was Russel, then Blake, Ren, Miltia, Carl, and Velvet. After Velvet, and directly across from Jaune, was a curiously vacant spot. After that was Melanie, and then Cardin. Next came something that had shocked many of them upon entering, and downright enraged Ren. It would have likely been Nora's spot, and now it was taken by a picture of the murdered girl with a red X drawn across it's surface.

The circle continued on the other side of the painful reminder. Dove stood in the next spot, and then Pyrrha, Sky, and finally Ruby directly to Jaune's right. The younger girl noticed him and gave him a weak smile. Jaune was about to ask how she was holding together when Deadb3ar's voice greeted them.

"Good afternoon my students! I hope you studied well, for today we have a very difficult test!"

This time it was different. The voice was closer, and they could all see why. Behind the vacant spot in the circle, overlooking the entire room from a sort of throne, Deadb3ar sat in a black suit and tie. The face remained covered by the giant bear mask, but Jaune could make out a definite female shape under the suit.

Deadb3ar leaned back in the throne and motioned with her hand. "I'll leave the trial to you. If you have any questions pertaining to the rules of the game or details on Beacon Academy, please feel free to ask me. Other than that, I will be staying out of this until it is time to vote."

Ruby held up her hand. "Um... if we vote wrong... what happens to Yang?"

Deab3ar sat up. "Hmm... good point. I suppose she would have had no choice in the matter, so I'll be generous. If you vote the wrong person, only the real murderer and Yang will get to go free."

Ruby let out a breath of relief, but it caught in her throat when Weiss spoke. "Well, that figures."

Blake growled at the heiress. "Will you cut it out! Ruby is not working for that lunatic!"

Weiss crossed her arms and turned away from Blake. "How can you be so sure?"

Of all the voices that could have cut in, it was Sky's voice that stopped Blake from having to answer. "Hold on for a moment. What do you have on Ruby?"

Blake looked at him incredulously. "You can't really believe her!"

Melanie spoke up next. "I think we should hear what she has to say before we jump to any conclusions on either side."

Ren cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "If we're going to figure this out, we need any information Weiss might have." He looked up at Blake. "And the rest of us may know things that could clear Ruby."

Eventually, Blake conceded. "Fine then... let her talk."

Weiss eyed everyone for a minute before starting. "Ruby is younger than us. Two years younger. She was moved forward from her second year of Signal Academy. Yet, somehow, this young little immature girl has a giant sniper scythe. That's merely suspicious, though. The first real evidence comes from the fact that her sister is the only other person alive in this building."

"I would also like to bring suspicion on that, as we don't have any solid evidence of Yang still being alive, but first comes the fact that Deadb3ar knows Ruby well enough to know how she'd react to Yang being threatened. The video in which we saw Deadb3ar and Yang together was recorded at night, as you could plainly tell by the night sky through the curtains behind Yang. So, tell me, how do you explain Deadb3ar giving a direct response to Ruby if the video was recorded some time before Ruby ever saw it?"

"But before you answer that, I would like to draw your attention to the next thing Ruby did. We all watched the video incentives Deadb3ar put on our scrolls, and Ruby's reaction was... quite dramatic. She then disappeared until this morning. By then, Nora had already been murdered. Ruby was the only person wandering the halls alone last night, so I think the answer to this crime is plain to see."

"Finally, upon entering this Class Trial Room, Ruby asks what becomes of Yang if we are wrong about the murderer's identity. If Ruby murdered Nora, which is my belief, and we end up voting someone else guilty... Ruby goes free along with her sister. She doesn't care about any of us, just her sister, and she is willing to sacrifice all of us just to get out of here. Either she's working with Deadb3ar, which may very well be Yang, or she's just a sick little girl who has no regard for anyone but herself. Although, I suspect she may in fact be trading off the role of Deadb3ar with her sister."

Finished her tirade, Weiss turned to Ruby and met her terrified gaze. "So... what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Actually, I'd like to say something." All eyes turned to a grinning Carl. "Sorry to poke holes in your theory, princess, but Ruby wasn't the only one wandering around last night."

Weiss' eye twitched angrily. "How would you know?"

Carl made a sound that Jaune had to assume was a chortle. "Because I was doing a little wandering myself, and I happened to see at least four of you out in the halls. Yes, Ruby was one of them, but so was Pyrrha."

Pyrrha winced, but spoke in her defense. "I waited outside Ruby's room for her to come back. She showed up about half an hour after midnight, and I spent the rest of the night sleeping in the chair in her room." She lowered her eyes to the ground. "I... I woke up at five in the morning, so I... I took... I took Crescent Rose to the gym in order to check it and make sure that Ruby hadn't been using it."

Melanie tapped her nose with her finger in what Jaune thought was a rather peculiar 'thinking face'. She looked over to Pyrrha. "What did you find, then?"

Pyrrha looked over at Ruby, who refused to look back. "The gun hadn't been fired, and there was no blood on the blade. Whether Ruby did it or not, she didn't use Crescent Rose."

Blake turned away from Pyrrha and looked over at Carl. "Who else did you see out last night?"

He shrugged. "Well, there was Nora, but I think we can assume she's not the murderer."

Melanie nodded. "So I was right. The murder took place in the hallway."

Velvet's ears perked up. "Oh, right! I had something I found. It might be some evidence, but I'm not sure what it means." Everyone looked over to her, and she shrunk under the expectant stares. "I... uh... I remembered what... what Blake said about the cleaner."

Blake's bow twitched, though no one was looking her way so no one noticed. "You investigated the cleaner? Did you find it in the kitchen?"

Velvet nodded, then quickly shook her head. "Well, I found a cupboard in the kitchen with a few cleaners in it, but I smelled them and none of them were like the one used in the hall."

Blake turned to look up at Deadb3ar. "Is there anywhere else cleaners are kept in the school?"

Deadb3ar just laughed at the question. "I think that's something you should have investigated earlier."

Blake grunted, displeased with the wall she had hit. Cardin was the one to pick up the slack. "Okay, bunny girl. You obviously found something else of use. What is it?"

Velvet held up the bottle of cleaner she had carried in with her. "If I may make a demonstration..." She looked up to Deadb3ar.

The bear-faced headmaster leaned forward in interest. "You have my attention."

Velvet set the bottle of cleaner on the railing in front of her and set a rag cloth beside it. Next she held up a knife from the kitchen, it's sharp edge glistening. Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, she sliced the tip of her finger open on the end of the knife. Even Deadb3ar seemed taken aback at the sight.

Velvet then tossed the knife behind her, letting it bounce off the wall and clatter to the floor. She wiped her bloody finger across her chest, staining the white part of her school uniform. "I could only think of two other places cleaner might be needed in Beacon, and what killer would want to sort through all the different cleaners in the janitor closet just to find the one for cleaning blood from the carpet when you could just go get it straight from a place where there's only one cleaner."

Jaune watched carefully as Velvet sprayed the cloth with the cleaner and wiped away at her shirt. The red stain disappeared right before their eyes. "That's... amazing. Where did you find it?"

Velvet blinked at him, surprised. "Well... it was in the gym. In the closet where the sports equipment is kept. This particular cleaner is for the mats used in fighting tournaments. Anyone who participates in a lot of fighting, or even watches a lot of fighting, would know why they need it." She held the bottle and cloth over to the nearest person, who happened to be Carl. "Pass it down to Blake. I want her to identify it."

Blake watched the evidence approach her, then graciously accepted it from Ren. She took the cap off and held the bottle up to her nose. Closing it up, she nodded. "It's the exact same smell."

Russel groaned. "And we're gonna just trust your sense of smell on that?"

Carl suddenly brightened up. "Now that you mention it, the other person I saw out and about last night was Russel."

Russel gave a shout of surprise as everyone suddenly looked at him. "Now, wait a second! I was just going to the kitchen to get a midnight snack! I was on my way back when... well, when that girl pounced on me with her giant scythe!"

Ruby squeaked, quickly covering her mouth so as not to make another sound. Jaune looked down at the short girl beside him. "Ruby... did you...?"

Not removing her hands, she slowly nodded. Her voice came through her hands, audible but muffled. "I'm... I'm sorry." She pulled her hands away from her mouth, balling them into fist. Her eyes started tearing and her face turned red. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was scared! I thought if I didn't do anything Yang would die!"

Weiss took on a scolding tone. "You obviously failed, though. What did you do after that? Run off and try for someone else? Maybe someone who would be more likely to trust you enough to turn their back on you. Someone who would be easier to murder! Someone like Nora!"

Jaune had been watching Weiss yelling at Ruby, but something a bit further around the circle caught his attention. Blake was looking at the cloth Velvet had passed to her, turning it over in her hand and staring at the blood stains on it. She looked almost like she was in a trance.

Jaune called over to Blake, stopping Weiss in her tracks. "Blake. What are you thinking?"

The dark-haired girl held out her hand. "Does anyone have a writing utensil?"

Everyone glanced around anxiously until the requested item was produced by Carl. He waved it teasingly at Blake. "It's your lucky day. Whatcha want it for?"

Blake narrowed her eyes at him. "Visual aide." She looked across the circle to Pyrrha. "One-one-zero-three-seven." The pen was passed down to Blake, who took it and quickly scrawled the numbers down on a clean part of the cloth.

Russel watched over Blake's shoulder and chuckled at what he saw. "Your penmanship is utterly shameful."

Blake glared up at him. "It's as close to the original as I can remember."

On her other side, Ren made his own comment. "Those five numbers? What original."

Melanie called across to Blake. "Those are the numbers Nora wrote before she died, aren't they?"

Blake nodded and looked to Ren. "Nora left us a message before she died. In her own blood, she wrote this number combination on the wall."

11037

It was indeed as close to the original as Blake could have made it. The 7 was at a right angle. The 3 also consisted of right angles, making it more square than round. Finally, there was a faint and incomplete line going between the top of the first 1 and the bottom of the second 1. Blake held it up for Ren, and he took it.

Ren looked over the message Nora had left again and again. He couldn't understand what it could have meant. It was just numbers. He knew everything about Nora. There was nothing he could think of that this could mean. Blake, on the other hand, now saw the image upside down. She slowly tugged at the cloth and turned it around in Ren's hand. His eyes went wide with what he saw.

"LEON?"


End file.
